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December 29, 2017 11:27 am

Life on Mars might be closer than you think. With plans to visit the red planet in the next decades, it’s probably best we try and figure out how we’re going to survive. This week on StarTalk Radio we’re bringing you a Martian mashup to ponder what human life might be like on Mars.

An early artist’s conception of a human Mars base, with a cutaway revealing an interior horticultural area. Credit: NASA Ames Research Center, courtesy of Wikipedia.

We combed the StarTalk Podcast Network to bring together the best conversations and explorations of life on red planet, featuring some of your favorite hosts, co-hosts, and guests.

You’ll hear from Andy Weir, author of The Martian, as he discusses the creative process behind solving some serious science problems during the writing of his book, with host Bill Nye, co-host Eugene Mirman, and guests Maeve Higgins and NASA planetary scientist Jim Green. Andy also addresses the now infamous dust storm that caused Mark Watney’s crew members to leave him stranded on Mars.

It wouldn’t be StarTalk Radio without some Neil deGrasse Tyson, and you’ll hear from Neil throughout the episode. He talks with Mary Roach, author of Packing for Mars, about growing food on Mars and using animal waste as protection against radiation exposure. He sits down with Playing with Science hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly to explore playing sports on Mars including Olympic cycling, swimming, and volleyball, as well as the impact of Martian gravity on baseball. You’ll also hear Neil chat with Buzz Aldrin, John Oliver, Eugene Mirman, and science journalist Andrew Chaikin about the legacy of the first Martian colonists.

Lastly, make sure to stick around until the end of the episode as Neil gives an aspiring send-off about Mars exploration through the lens of the cosmic perspective.

Please join us tomorrow night for Life on Mars Mashup at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on our channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And if you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

One last note. Special thanks to our departing intern Jen Walsh for her work helping our producers put together this episode.